Airport Abrasion

It was with great interest that I read your thoughts on the inhumanity of airport security (Fear and Loathing at Airports); I might add that everything related to airports needs a thorough review to improve human elements. I am an airline pilot (with a design background) who is accosted daily with incomprehensibly staggering levels of noise and abrasion, and that’s just in the areas designed for our customers, the passengers. I can’t even begin to explain what we, the working parts inside the airport, are subjected to. I am interested in finding likeminded people to share my experiences with and perhaps make this big flying world a bit more enjoyable.

Sonja Sabels

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I just returned from an overnight trip to Las Vegas (speaking of Fear and Loathing), and was sadly thinking how our quality of life has diminished over the years. Having to remove my shoes, belt, watch, keys, loose change, and dental fillings before passing through a metal detector so I might travel to Las Vegas where I will gamble the aforementioned articles away is a demeaning experience on many levels.

The variety of security obstacles cobbled together by TSA is a unique opportunity to mix the harsh reality of the times we live in with at least the illusion of civility. Why not make it fun? Why not employ Disney Imagineers for a “Toontown Meets LAX” experience?

Jon Sansom
Marketing Manager
Morley Builders

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I am an industrial designer who travels all the time both domestic and abroad for my work. I see the beat-up folding tables that are warn down to the layers below the plastic laminate, the dirty flooring where people have to take off shoes and stand in bare or stocking feet in very long lines, and many times they haven’t provided a place to sit down so you can put your shoes back on. Where are the design teams that could help streamline these systems and even eliminate personnel? I used to work for Steelcase, who owns IDEO, and you’re right, this may be a good place to start. Travel is a pain to endure so you can get to you destination—Like the design process itself, this is just one more problem that can and should be solved!